Prevalence of syphilis in transgender women and travestis in Brazil: results from a national cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of acquired syphilis and associated factors in a national survey. Methods: TransOdara was a cross-sectional study comprising transgender women and travestis (TGW) in five major cities in Brazil during December of 2019 and July of 2021. The sample was recruited using the respondent-driven sampling (RDS) method. The outcome “active syphilis” was defined as a positive treponemal test and Venereal-Disease-Research-Laboratory (VDRL) title greater than∕ equal to ⅛. Sociodemographic variables were described. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression were performed, and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated. All analyses were performed in R, 4.3.1. Results: A total of 1,317 TGW were recruited, with 1,291 being tested for syphilis, and 294 (22.8%) meeting the criteria for active syphilis. In bivariate analysis, black/mixed race (OR=1.41, 95%CI 1.01–1.97), basic level of education (OR=2.44, 95%CI 1.17–5.06), no name change in documents (OR=1.39, 95%CI 1.00–1.91) and sex work (past only OR= 2.22, 95%CI 1.47–3.32; partial OR=2.75, 95%CI 1.78–4.25; full time OR=3.62, 95%CI 2.36–5.53) were associated with active syphilis. In the multivariate analysis, sex work was the only associated factor, 2.07 (95%CI 1.37–3.13) past sex work, 2.59 (95%CI 1.66–4.05) part-time sex work and 3.16 (95%CI 2.04–4.92) sex work as the main source of income. Conclusion: The prevalence of active syphilis in this study was elevated compared with other countries in Latin America. Sex work was an important associated factor with active syphilis, highlighting the impact that this condition of vulnerability may have in the health of TGW, as members of a key, marginalized population.